PEQUOT LAKES, Minn. — There are lots of towns in Minnesota known for a unique mascot or landmark... say New Ulm and Herman the German, Garrison and the Big Walleye, Duluth's Lift Bridge, Big Ole in Alexandria, the World's Biggest Hockey Stick in Eveleth... you get the drift.
Right up there with all of those is a whimsical water tower the looks over the lake country community of Pequot Lakes. The Bobber is known to all who regularly travel State Highway 371 through this beloved town, the shopping stop for cabin owners and those who like their lives at a leisurely pace.
The old water tower was boring and blue, just like many others that dot the landscape, until it came time to paint it in 1987 and and then-council member Dale Headlee suggested a change of color. The Pequot Lakes Chamber of Commerce decided to stage a contest to solicit ideas, and an elementary school student named Nathan Burns came up with the fishing theme - and won $100 for his trouble.
The legend that came along with the new design is that Paul Bunyan set his giant bobber on the tower to take a rest, lounging in a chair below in a beautiful picnic spot known as "Bobber Park."
In the years since, The Bobber has become what Pequot Lakes is known for. It's on t-shirts, mugs, hats, stickers, and just about anything else you can find at a souvenir shop. And while the original tower (built in 1960) no longer functions, the town built a new one in 1999 and painted it like... you guessed it... a new and improved bobber.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more KARE in the Air:
Check out amazing drone video of Minnesota's most beautiful and iconic spots in our YouTube playlist: